Forget that team-building Who Moved My Damn Fish and Cheese? philosophy crap. If you really want to plow through work tensions and boost office morale, you need to take it outside. Yeah, that's right. Take it out on the playground, and kick some ass on a makeshift kickball field or foursquare court. Today is Recess at Work Day, which is the latest moneymaking motivational scheme to hit the cubicle circuit. (Well, you only have to fork out the dough if you want to invite Rich DiGirolamo, Recess at Work Day founder, to give his spiel and supervise the playground activities at your office.) But you don't need a squirrelly man wearing a spinner beanie to tell you how to increase work productivity while pitching a Wiffle ball to you. Just grab your hula hoops and head out to the parking lot to burn off steam. We promise you will feel much better once you bean the office bully with a playground ball. For more information, visit www.recessatworkday.com. (LO)
FRI 17
This past March the nonprofit organization Citizens for a Better South Florida sponsored a "Discover Biscayne Bay" film contest for South Florida high school and college students with the top prize netting $1000 for one creative cinematographer. Tonight the top three films will be awarded at the Discover Biscayne Bay Film Festival as part of the Third Fridays series at the Majory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center (6767 Crandon Blvd., Key Biscayne). In addition, Amy Condon from the Trust for Public Lands will give a short presentation about "discovering Biscayne Bay and what you can do to contribute to its conservation." And after the film screening, enjoy live music, chat with the young filmmakers, or engage in arts and crafts activities with your little ones. Give props to these budding environmentalists beginning at 6:00. Admission is five dollars for adults; three dollars for children. There's a five dollar parking fee, and you'll also need a buck for the toll. Call 305-361-6767, or visit www.biscaynenaturecenter.org. (LO)
SAT 18
Tobacco Road (626 S. Miami Ave., Miami) has been Miami's most distinctive venue for live music since 1912. The sounds of jazz, folk, rock, and the blues have all resounded through this storied bar. Now the Road is gearing up to add some Latin spice to its musical menu with Spanish Indie Rock Saturdays. Tonight is the first installment of this monthly event, and you can enjoy rock en español from Nacho, Cana, Infuso, and the anchoring band, Tango36. Inspired by bands such as The Police, U2, The Smiths, and La Ley, these rockeros blend Latin culture with traditional rock and roll. The show begins at 9:00. Admission is five dollars. Call 305-374-1198, or visit www.tobacco-road.com or www.tango36.com. (PEGY)
SUN 19
D.L. Hughley is certainly moving up in the world. Just this past year he starred in the dismal parody Soul Plane, for which he has since apologized in his stand-up performances. Now, Comedy Central has given the gravel-voiced comedian his very own late-night talk show. Weekends at the D.L. will debut in the primo 11:00 p.m. time slot Friday, June 29, and it promises to be a funny, insightful platform for this rising star and his hip guests. Hughley is also about to drop a comedy album, Notes from the GED Section, which captures his raucous stand-up energy and makes light of everything from racism, politics, and family relationships to his hardscrabble upbringing and spotty educational background. This talented comedian will be here to make Miamians cackle all weekend long. Catch him tonight at 8:30 at the Miami Improv, 3390 Mary St., Miami. Tickets cost $28.89. Call 305-441-8200, or visit www.improv.com. (PEGY)
MON 20
"Sounds like somebody has a case of the Mondays!" Maybe you didn't get recess and now you have a case of the Peter Gibbons syndrome: "I don't like my job, and, uh, I don't think I'm gonna go anymore." If that rings true, you can go home, smoke a big bowl, drink some beers, and wallow in the painfully true-to-life humor of Office Space, or you can call up your peeps and wind down at a hotel party. Rejuvenation Mondays at Hotel Victor (1144 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach) offers two-for-one cocktails and complimentary hors d'oeuvres on the VUE terrace from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Let the balmy Atlantic breezes wash away the stress as you catch the sunset and listen to the relaxing beats of DJ JP Rigaud. Call 305-761-9564 to RSVP, or visit www.hotelvictorsouthbeach.com. (LO)
TUE 21
Skateboarders of the world, unite and take over! The International Association of Skateboard Companies (www.skateboardiasc.org) has declared the first day of summer Go Skateboarding Day. This global event was launched last year and prompted a day of grinding, thrashing, and ripping in Australia, Japan, Europe, and the Americas. Today local skaters are invited to ride the rails at Control Skatepark (380 NW 24th St., Miami). Control and M.I.A. Skate Shop (229 Ninth St., Miami Beach) are joining forces to host a free event to keep kids off the street. There will be food, prizes, and DJs spinning while skaters compete in the $300 best trick contest. The party will get rolling around noon. Call 305-576-9012, or visit www.miaskateshop.com or www.controlskateboarding.com. (LO)
WED 22
According to Arva Moore Parks, the current state of Coconut Grove would make Ralph Middleton Munroe "heartsick." With the ubiquity of chain establishments, and big-box retailer Home Depot knocking on the door, the Grove has changed immeasurably since Munroe took his first photographs in 1883. "Ralph Munroe really did not want Coconut Grove to become more developed than it was when he found it. He liked the wilderness. When Julia Tuttle brought [Henry] Flagler down to woo him to bring his railroad, Munroe said, öFine, bring the railroad to Miami. But don't bring it to Coconut Grove,'" laughs Parks. The amazingly beautiful new edition of The Forgotten Frontier shows a photograph of Flagler's fancy boat docked in Coconut Grove the historic day these two pioneers butted heads. Parks presents crisp digital scans of Munroe's antique images of unspoiled woods, native Indians, and the original Bahamian settlers, alongside enchanting prose that reveals the rich history of the Biscayne Bay area. Hear stories of old Florida from a dedicated preservationist tonight at 8:00 at Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables. Call 305-442-4408, or visit www.booksandbooks.com. (PEGY)
By Lyssa Oberkreser and Patrice Elizabeth Grell Yursik
